Charles Morehouse ’75 presented a lecture entitled, “Engineering as a Profession: Creativity with Constraints” and led a discussion on the place of engineers in our society and the importance of seeking engineering training regardless of the final life path a person follows. The event is part of the ongoing program introducing Kent students to the discipline of engineering.
The presentation from Mr. Morehouse was delivered in Dickinson Science auditorium. The talk covered a broad range of questions including: what is an engineer, where do engineers fit in society, what is the creative side of engineering and how are projects conceived, developed and delivered?
A highlight of the presentation was a slideshow following the development of the Mobile MaxPure. This exciting invention uses solar power to purify water. A search for Mobile MaxPure will show you the many situations around the world in which people are benefitting from this water purifying system. The slideshow followed the entire invention process from the first entry in Mr. Morehouse’s journal, through the use of Autodesk Inventor software to design it, through the manufacture and delivery of the box to Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, and Haiti. Kent students are familiar with Autodesk Inventor as it is the same software used by the robotics team and in the Engineering Design course.
“It was very inspirational.” Alex Atanassov ’11 said about the lecture. “Getting to see how an invention can help so many people in so many places is incredible. It made me want to make something of such caliber myself.”
As a follow-up to his presentation, Mr. Morehouse sent the following information: The BBC “Have Your Say” segment on “Rebuilding in Haiti” which highlights the Mobile MaxPure’s role in bringing clean water to the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquakes. The article is available here.
Mr. Morehouse went from KENT to the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1979. He is currently a Certified Professional Engineer in the states of California, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The bulk of his professional career has been devoted to the process control disciplines associated with the petrochemicals, mining, pharmaceuticals, materials handling, water and wastewater. His international experience includes working in countries such as Nicaragua, Pakistan, Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iraq. In 1990, he founded Morehouse Engineering to provide integrated control systems for process plants and assemblies.
